Category: Neuroplasticity

Harnessing the Power of Neuroplasticity #TrainYour BrainDay

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Ever wonder what makes our brains so remarkable? Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change and adapt throughout your entire life. Your brain is not a static, unchanging organ – it’s more like a dynamic, ever-evolving landscape.  Today, in honour of #TrainYourBrainDay, let’s explore the science behind this process and how we can harness it to improve our cognitive abilities.

How Does Neuroplasticity Work?

Neuroplasticity involves both structural and functional changes in the brain:

  • Structural changes: These involve altering the physical connections between brain cells (neurons). This can happen through:
    • Neurogenesis: The birth of new neurons, primarily in the hippocampus, a region crucial for learning and memory.
    • Synaptic plasticity: Strengthening or weakening existing connections (synapses), making communication between neurons more or less efficient. This can also involve eliminating unused connections (synaptic pruning).
  • Functional changes: These changes affect how different brain regions work together. This can involve:
    • Developing new neural pathways: When you learn a new skill, your brain creates new pathways to process and store that information.
    • Reorganizing existing networks: If one area of the brain is damaged, other areas can sometimes take over its function, as seen in stroke recovery.

Factors that influence neuroplasticity

Several factors can influence how adaptable your brain is:

  • Age: While plasticity is greatest in childhood, it continues throughout life.
  • Genetics: Your genes play a role in how your brain develops and adapts.
  • Environment: A stimulating environment with opportunities for learning and social interaction enhances plasticity.
  • Lifestyle: Factors like sleep, nutrition, stress, and exercise all impact brain health and plasticity.

How Can You Encourage Neuroplasticity?

The great news is that you can actively influence your brain’s plasticity. Here are some ways to encourage it.

  • Embrace lifelong learning: Continually challenge your brain with new skills, languages, and information.
  • Engage in mental exercises: Puzzles, brain games, and critical thinking activities keep your mind sharp.
  • Stay physically active: Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, promoting neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity.
  • Get enough sleep: Sleep is crucial for consolidating memories and allowing your brain to reorganize.
  • Reduce stress: Chronic stress can negatively impact brain plasticity.

Further Reading

  1. “Neurogenesis in the Adult Human Hippocampus,” Nature Medicine, 1998.
  2. “Physical Exercise and Brain Plasticity,” Brain Sciences, 2020.
  3. “Mindfulness Practices and Brain Structure,” Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 2017.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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This illustration depicts a single cell RNA-sequencing study of PTSD, major depression and normal controls. In this plot, more than 363,000 nuclei are represented and categorized into eight broad cell types, allowing researchers to visualize the cellular and molecular changes associated with these conditions. Credit: Dell Medical School

In a new study, investigators have uncovered both shared and distinct molecular changes across brain regions, genomic layers, cell types, and blood in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

New research has revealed that areas of age-related damage in the brain relate to motor outcomes after a stroke—a phenomenon that may be under-recognized in stroke research.

A large study using pre-pandemic brain scans of adolescents reveals that brain wiring before COVID-19 predicted mental health outcomes during the pandemic. Adolescents with stronger connections within the brain’s “salience network,” responsible for emotion and reward processing, demonstrated greater resilience to stress and negative emotions. Conversely, weaker connections in the prefrontal cortex and other areas linked to emotional processing were associated with higher levels of stress and sadness.These findings highlight the importance of understanding individual brain differences in predicting and addressing mental health vulnerabilities during challenging times.

A team of medical researchers at the National Children’s Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, China, has developed a technique to freeze and thaw brain tissue without causing damage.

Singing can improve language recovery in stroke patients by repairing the brain’s language network. This positive effect is attributed to increased grey matter volume in language regions and improved connectivity within the network.

A new AI tool to more quickly and accurately classify brain tumours has been developed by researchers at The Australian National University.

An international research collaboration investigated how highly organised patterns of neural activity emerge during development and found the cortex of the brain can transform unorganised inputs into highly organized patterns of activity.

Results from a new study suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution leads to increased risk in dementia in Denmark.

A recent study published in Health Data Science reveals the significant impact of high cumulative body mass index (BMI) on brain health. The research found that high BMI is associated with smaller brain volume, larger white matter lesions, and abnormal microstructural integrity.

A team of neurosurgeons and AI specialists has found some success in restoring speech to a patient who lost the ability after a stroke.

A study published in iScience from researchers from the Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology at Reichman University offers a new perspective towards the plasticity of the brain, and integration of the senses, paving the way for the enhancement of prosthetics and assistive technologies, and even our interactions with virtual and augmented realities.

Finally this week, research addresses a gap in understanding how ketamine’s impact on individual neurons leads to pervasive and profound changes in brain network function.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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Image:  Bansal et al., PLOS Computational Biology, October 2018.

Scientists are using computational models of the brain to simulate how the structure of the brain may impact brain activity and, ultimately, human behavior. The research focuses on interconnectivity, looking at how different regions are linked to and interact with one another.

Using a green filter helps to increase reading speed for children with dyslexia, researchers report.

Using three different training models, researchers report mental training, mindfulness and meditation can induce structural brain plasticity and reduce social stress.

A new study reports sleep helps improve learning performance in predictable processes.

A new brain imaging study reveals how the midbrain and striatum, two key areas of the dopamine system, become more active when a person updates their beliefs about the world around them.

Researchers report deep brain stimulation has little benefit for those suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally this week, a decade worth of data reveals people who multitask with different forms of media at once are worse at completing simple memory tasks.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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Chang Lab’s research reveals what area of the human brain controls the pitch of our speech.

Researchers have revealed the area of the brain that controls our voice box, allowing us to alter the pitch of our speech. The insight could pave the way for advancing neuroprosthetics to allow people who can’t speak, to express themselves in a naturalistic way.

A new study reports the brain mechanisms responsible for triggering memory are identical, whether a person is awake or asleep.

While the effects of sleep deprivation are well known, researchers discover sleeping too much could have a detrimental effect on your brain. A new study reports sleeping more than eight hours per night can reduce cognitive ability and reasoning skills.

Researchers have discovered the thalamus plays a crucial role in the development of normal sleep and waking states.

A new study reports T cells are activated in the intestines and migrate to the brain, causing an inflammatory cascade that may lead to multiple sclerosis. Researchers say the gut microbiome may play a more significant role in the development and progression of MS than previously believed.

A new study reports an afternoon nap can help us to process unconscious information and enhance cognition.

Utilizing lesion network mapping, a recently developed technique for analyzing how the brain works, researchers have studied free will perception related to movement decisions.

A new study reports a protein made by astrocytes plays a critical role in brain plasticity by assisting with neural maturation and flexibility.

Only a small proportion of cases of dementia are thought to be inherited – the cause of the vast majority is unknown. Now, in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Cambridge believe they may have found an explanation: spontaneous errors in our DNA that arise as cells divide and reproduces.

An international team of researchers has demonstrated, with electrophysiological evidence, the existence of grid-like activity in the human brain.

Finally, this week, a new study reports people may be able to avoid depression, even if they have a genetic predisposition to SAD, by maintaining or boosting serotonin levels throughout the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rewiring The Brain: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

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For decades, scientists thought that the adult human brain was static and unchanging. But in the last few decades, we have learned that the adult brain is more dynamic than we ever imagined.  In fact, the human brain is malleable and can change in response to new experiences.  It is adaptable, like plastic – hence the term “neuroplasticity.”

Learn more about neuroplasticity in this infographic.

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Weekly Neuroscience Update

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girl-1990347_960_720.jpgA new report reveals how the development of music is so closely tied to our own evolution.

Even a single bout of physical activity can have significant positive effects on people’s mood and cognitive functions, according to a new study in Brain Plasticity.

A new study reports on the complex brain connections employed during word retrieval.

New research provides an unprecedented level of resolution and insight into disturbances in cortical GABAergic microcircuits, which are thought to underlie cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

A sign language study helps researchers better understand how the brain processes language.

Researchers say the goal of memory is not to transmit the most accurate information over time, but to optimize intelligent decision making by holding on to valuable information.

A new study reports microglia may play a role in a diverse array of neurodegenerative and psychiatric illnesses.

A new brain imaging study shows for the first time that brain inflammation is significantly elevated – more than 30 per cent higher – in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) than in people without the condition.

A research team has studied two structurally-similar proteins in the adult brain and have found that they play distinct roles in the development of dementia. 

Neurons found to be abnormal in psychosis play an important role in our ability to distinguish between what is real and what is perceived, researchers say.

A new study sheds light on the neural mechanism behind why some people with autism are unable to make eye contact with others.

While researchers report the risk of developing psychosis from cannabis use is relatively small, those who use the drug and already suffer from schizophrenia may notice their condition worsen.

Finally this week, researchers have discovered a mechanism of glucose sensing by muscles that contribute to the regulation of blood sugar levels in the body.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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4121A56E00000578-4574260-image-a-57_1496767085907.jpgElectrically stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can enhance our ability to ‘think outside the box’, a new study reports.

An international team of researchers has found, for the first time, seven risk genes for insomnia. With this finding the researchers have taken an important step towards the unravelling of the biological mechanisms that cause insomnia. In addition, the finding proves that insomnia is not, as is often claimed, a purely psychological condition.

Researchers have developed a neural network based AI system that can decode and predict what a person is seeing or imagining.

A new study reports artificial intelligence used by the military to help shoot down fighter planes can accurately predict treatment outcomes for people with bipolar disorder.

New research sheds light on how the brain codes navigation behaviour at larger scales.

The visual cortex, the human brain’s vision-processing center that was previously thought to mature and stabilize in the first few years of life, actually continues to develop until sometime in the late 30s or early 40s, a neuroscientist and her colleagues have found.

Clusters of a sticky protein — amyloid plaque — found in the brain signal mental decline years before symptoms appear, a new study finds.

According to researchers, brain signals in specific brain areas change during a lifespan in ways that could be vital for maintaining flexibility.

Two new studies shed light on how the brain encodes and recalls memories.

People with voice disorders may have a problem with correctly utilizing auditory feedback to control their voices.

A new study reveals the role the motor system plays in the perception of language. 

According to researchers, bilingual children perform better at voice recognition and processing than monolingual children.

Fascination with faces is nature, not nurture, suggests a new study of third-trimester fetuses.

Finally this week, the mystery of how human eyes compute the direction of moving light has been made clearer by scientists at The University of Queensland.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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People have a remarkable ability to remember and recall events from the past, even when those events didn’t hold any particular importance at the time they occurred. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on November 23 have evidence that dogs have this kind of “episodic memory” too.

PET imaging of new neurons in the brain promises to advance our understanding and treatment of depression.

Research from Mayo Clinic included in the November issue of JAMA Neurology identifies a new biomarker for brain and spinal cord inflammation, allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment of patients.

The amount of GABA in person’s dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is linked the ability to keep several things in mind simultaneously. to new research.

A new study offers important insight into how Alzheimer’s disease begins within the brain. The researchers found a relationship between inflammation, a toxic protein and the onset of the disease. The study also identified a way that doctors can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s by looking at the back of patients’ eyes.

An international research team has found that when the brain “reads” or decodes a sentence in English or Portuguese, its neural activation patterns are the same.

In a cross-domain study, researchers have discovered unexpected cells in the protective membranes that enclose the brain, the so called meninges. These ‘neural progenitors’ – or stem cells that differentiate into different kinds of neurons – are produced during embryonic development. These findings show that the neural progenitors found in the meninges produce new neurons after birth – highlighting the importance of meningeal tissue as well as these cells’ potential in the development of new therapies for brain damage or neurodegeneration. A paper highlighting the results was published in the leading scientific journal Cell Stem Cell.

A new study reports that a single stressful event may cause long term consequences in the brain.

Researchers have identified previously unknown neural circuitry that plays a role in promoting satiety, the feeling of having had enough to eat. The discovery revises the current models for homeostatic control — the mechanisms by which the brain maintains the body’s status quo — of feeding behaviour. Published online today in Nature Neuroscience, the findings offer new insight into the regulation of hunger and satiety and could help researchers find solutions to the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Finally this week, learning by taking practice tests, a strategy known as retrieval practice, can protect memory against the negative effects of stress, according to new research.